Atlantix2000

In several years reading cruise forums about Royal, I've never seen anyone describe purchasing the DBP as retroactive.

I can't answer all your questions because I've only ever used a card that had zero foreign transaction fees and would recommend you do the same (I can't imagine why that these wouldn't be available on your side of the ocean). It is generally recommended to use a credit card not a debit card for your seapass account. Credit cards are just plain safer and offer more protections for the consumer than a debit card. Yes each person's seapass card can be setup to charge a different card. This will take slightly longer during checkin (either online in advance or at the port before boarding). Yes there will only be one "real" charge at the end of the cruise. However, you should be aware that each day's charges will be added up and a hold will be put on your card each day for that amount. This can create issues because the holds don't always come off immediately. They will disappear in 0-3 (or more) days depending on the terms of your account. This means your account will temporarily seem as though it has been double charged and yes, if you used a debit card, your bank could also think you are overdrawing your account and charge fees. This is not Royal's fault and there is nothing they can do about it but if you search you'll find plenty of upset people who don't understand. Personally, I think this alone is a reason not to use debit cards.

No one know for sure when, but every ship will be added eventually. Is there actually a difference between checking in online and through the app? You can upload ID photos without the app.

The welcome letter in your stateroom should list your C+A benefits and mention they are loaded on your card. Some examples are "Buy one drink, get one drink half off", "10% off an internet package", etc. You will generally have to tell someone (bartender, casino host, guest services, etc.) that you want to use the benefit.

NRD stands for non-refundable deposit. It's cheaper to book that way, because the depost is...non-refundable!

Totally against the rules. And you can only get 1 drink at a time with a package anyway. The package is on your SeaPass card so your picture will pop up on the screen with every order. And as mentioned, if you're seen passing a drink to someone else, end of package, no refund, and possible end of cruise too.

The number of nights is how they count the length of the cruise for all purposes. Yes, it spreads across 8 days, but as you point out, you will not be on board for all (or even most) of days 1 & 8. Your cruise is seven 24- hour periods (minus a few hours depending on how early you board and how late you get off). So anything that is charged per day will be charged 7 times on your cruise. (Dining package, Drink package, daily gratuities). You can buy a drink package for fewer days but you have to buy it for the rest of the cruise once you start. So you could buy on day 3 to save 2 days of cost. However make sure you look at the math. If you buy in advance, it will be at a discount (typically 20-30% off depending on the current sale) but once you are on the cruise, it will be full price. So it might cost the same or more to skip 2 days than to just buy it in advance! You can also cancel and repurchase if there is ever a better sale on the drink package. Also, they do stop selling the package at some point. If you wait until day 5 or 6, you may not be able to purchase.

As above, yes you can, but whether there is anything nearby (especially walking distance) depends on which port you are using which you don't mention.

There is no such thing as a cruise approved power strip. It's a marketing gimmick. Officially, only surge protectors are banned but the port employees (who do not work for Royal) have no interest in slowing down the boarding process to check whether or not your power strip is also a surge protector. So they confiscate everything.

There is no Diamond Lounge shown on the deck plans for Quantum of the Seas on Royal's website or a couple others I just checked. Did you look at those before booking your cruise? What else do you think Royal should have done to inform you about what was available on the ship? Quantum was designed for the Chinese market. It has much more casino space (yes at the expense of the diamond lounge). Not sure what else to tell you but research the ship before you book.

I haven't seen anyone report actually being at Coco Cay with 3 ships. So far, it's just rumors and unreliable sources. Please come back and let us know your actual experience.

That chart seems way too feel good compared to the world wide reaction. There are plenty of rumors about the number of infections and deaths being hidden including reports that crematoriums are disposing of bodies that aren't being counted. In the last couple decades, I can't remember travel restrictions coming anywhere close to what we are seeing today. And China is building multiple hospitals just to treat/quarantine people with this disease. When is the last time you heard something like that?

No matter how they divide the groups, someone's child will always be right on the "wrong" side of the age boundary. Most reports I've seen say Royal has historically been flexible with the age ranges. That flexibility depends on how many children they have in each age range so the answer to "will my child age X be allowed to Y" will probably not be consistent. That said, it never hurts to ask especially when dealing with siblings. Edited to add: I mean ask on board. If you ask before the cruise, the customer service agents are simply going to read you the rules as written.

By default, My Time Dining guests are seated at their own tables. You can request to share a table but then you have to hope you are dining at the same time as someone else who also make that request. You could also make some friends around the ship and go to My Time Dining together. By default, traditional dining (early/late seatings) guests are seated with others. You can add a table size request to your reservation. In general, Royal would not add a single person to a family's table because that might be awkward. They would probably put you at a table with multiple couples or multiple solo travelers. You can also request a table change if you end up not liking the people. Based on personal experience, I think Royal also tries to group people by rough age ranges or cruise experience level. (Example, I've never been seated with people my parent's age.)

I thought I'd seen this topic recently but it was further back than I recalled. I'm guessing if you are logged into your account, the website will simply show you an already discounted price.

It's nothing unique to Harmony. The Royal website always shows you a price that already factors in any advertised sales. Same thing when you go to book dining, drink packages, excursions, etc. If there is a sale that says drink package is Buy One Get One Half Off!!! and the price shown is $60. It will cost $120 to buy 2 drink packages because that $60 already includes the BOGO. (Actually it will cost $120 + 18% = $141.6 because of gratuities.)

Ever been annoyed by someone using their cell in speaker phone mode in a public place? Walkie Talkies are even more annoying because they squawk and have static. Please don't use them. Everyone around you will hate you.

In the first month of 2020, there have been hostilities between Iran and the USA, Australia is on fire, Venice is underwater (though that might have been December), and China is sick. So the cartoon character is scared because there's 11 months left in the year.

There's a lot of threads discussing this right now (look at one of the many threads about 3+ ships at Coco Cay on the same day). When you look at Royal's website, they seem to be showing generic itineraries (example, 2 months in a row of 7 night sailings that list 4 ports in the same order) but at the bottom in fine print it says "Port order may vary by date." As far as I can tell, there is no way to get the website to show the specific itinerary for a cruise date. So websites like cruise time table simply enter the generic itinerary resulting in many days with more ships at a port than are possible. In my opinion, if you have booked a cruise, and your planner shows a different itinerary than the generic one on the website, I would believe the planner has the dates for your cruise. For now, we have to trust that Royal hasn't created chaos by over-scheduled the ships. We'll know for sure in the next couple months.

The mini-fridge is good for keeping pop/wine/snacks/etc cool. If you have a need to keep something at a regulated temperature (medicine, milk, etc) you need to fill out a special needs request.

Fire hazards on ships are serious business. Being surrounded by water doesn't mean the ship can't burn and sink. You also can't bring a surge protector on board because it creates a fire hazard. Electrical grounding works different on a ship so surge protectors can do WAY more harm than good. Perhaps you should rethink your formal outfits. There's plenty of good looking clothes that don't need to be ironed.

I think it would be very hard to find a commercially available fan that isn't certified (mostly UL in the USA, CE in Europe, etc). As long as you bought it from a store or reputable website, you're almost certainly getting something that will be allowed onboard.

You'll just need to get an extra room key for the parent's room for your friend. Guest services will take care of it on board.

There's plenty of taxis to paradise island but you might also check with them about catching a ferry to/from the port itself. You'll almost certainly be riding the same ferry boat that picks up Royal's excursion right at the port. I'm sure you booked something cheaper than Royal's excursion, but will it still be cheaper if you have to pay for 2 taxi rides?

While your itinerary does list local times for arrival/departure, be aware that the official time onboard the ship may or may not change time zones to match the local time. That decision is up to the captain's discretion. Ship's time is all that matters so be sure your watch/clock/phone is set appropriately or you understand how it differs from ship's time. The daily schedule (Cruise Compass) will show all activities (including the all aboard time) in ship's time.